“Don’t be. She’s happy now after what you said, you crazy fool.”
“I may be a lot of things, but a fool isn’t one of them. You’ll see one day.” I smirked at her.
At the cafe, we ordered breakfast from a happy Jackson. She was gloating over the two of us. She laughed when Lee told her how she got into trouble with her mom.
“Just like high school.”
“What did you do in high school?” I asked.
“For one, we got into Jackson’s grandma’s moonshine. We got so trashed it wasn’t funny. Then we got in trouble for getting drunk and from her grandma for dipping into her stash.”
The thought of the two of them staggering around hammered as hell had me laughing my ass off. “Wish I could’ve seen that.”
Lee held her hand up. “Oh no. It wasn’t pretty when we were throwing up all over the place.”
“If you can’t hold your liquor …” I shrugged.
“Uh, yeah. We didn’t touch that stuff again,” I said.
Breakfast was delicious—the best I’d ever eaten. This cafe rivaled any food I’d ever tasted.
“Jackson needs to enter some of those food contests or get on one of the TV shows. Her cooking is amazing,” I said.
“I know. She is talented.”
We finished eating and Lee informed me she had to work the lunch hour.
“Would it be okay if I just hung out here?”
“What? Are you gonna ogle me all afternoon?”
“Of course. What else would I do in a town like Drummond?”
“You’ve got a point.”
I leaned across the table and pressed my lips to hers. “If I can help, just let me know. I’m pretty good at chores, you know.”
“Can you wash dishes?”
“Pfft. Anyone can do that.”
She grabbed my hand and said, “Come on. And bring your dirty dishes with you.”
We cleaned up our mess and headed back to the kitchen where Jackson was running the show. There were a couple of helping hands with her, but she had everything under control.
“Hey you two. Tell me about last night,” Jackson called out. Her grin was a dead giveaway she knew what we’d been up to.
“I’m not the kiss and tell kind of guy,” I called back out.
“Hey Jackson, do you recall an old guy working at Neal’s store?” Lee asked.
“Not that I can remember. Why?”
“Rusty was in there yesterday and said there was some old man in there,” Lee said.
“Yeah, I went inside to check out that old wooden train set in the window. I was interested in buying it, but he told me it wasn’t for sale. Anyway, we had quite a long conversation and then he sent me here to eat.”
“I have no idea who that could be. Did you get a name?” Jackson wanted to know.
“Nope. Didn’t bother to ask.”
Lee was cleaning off the griddle while she spoke. “After lunch, I want to go over there to see if he’s still there.”
Jackson only shrugged. “Maybe he’s an uncle of Neal’s or something.”
“Maybe. I just think it’s kinda weird that neither of us knows him.”
“Eh, whatever. I’m glad he sent me a new customer and got you a date.”
I laughed as Lee threw a dishcloth at her.
The lunch crowd was thick. I was a quick study at bussing tables and serving drinks. I also helped carry the heavier trays out and later joked around with Lee about sharing her tips.
“You owe me, Lee.”
“I do, but not to worry. I’ll make this worth it.”
I watched her hips sway and it dawned on me how well she walked with her prosthesis. Her slight limp was barely noticeable.
When she was finished for the afternoon, we left the cafe and went down the street to the little woodworking shop. The bell on the door rang when we entered. Neal came and greeted us.
“Hey, Neal. You doing okay?”
“Pretty good, Lee. What about yourself?”
“Good. Neal, this is Rusty. He’s visiting from Virginia Beach and was in yesterday.”
“No, not yesterday. I was closed. You must’ve been in the day before. I came down with some stomach thing, so I never opened the shop yesterday.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I came in and there was an old gentleman in here. I inquired about that train set in the window. He told me it wasn’t for sale but sold me some other things. Ducks and fish.”
“No. I promise you, there wasn’t an old man in here and I didn’t open up yesterday.”
Lee touched my arm. “Come on, Rusty. You must’ve been mistaken.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“See you, Neal,” she called out as we left.
When we got outside, I said, “Look, I know you think I’m nuts, but I swear I saw him. I even have things I bought from that shop. I can show you.”
Lee was quiet for a minute as we walked. Then she suddenly stopped and said, “If I show you a picture of someone, could you recognize that man?” she asked.
“I couldn’t forget his face if I tried.”
“Come on. We’re going to my house.”
We went back to the cafe and jumped in her car. When we got to her parents’ house, she took me inside and dug through some old pictures. She handed me one and asked, “Is this him?”
The picture was aged and worn, but I checked it out closely. “I’m not sure because this man is so much younger. Do you have one of him when he’s older?”
“Hang on.”
She flipped through another old photo album and continued her search. Finally, she pulled another picture out. “What about this?”
I examined it closely. “Yes! He’s still younger but that’s him.”
Lee smiled. “This is really weird. This is my great-grandfather.”
“How in the hell was he in that shop yesterday? This man is dead.” I shook the picture in my hand.
“Not only is he dead, but he’s also been dead for over thirty years.”
Chapter Seventeen
Lee
* * *
Rusty was not accepting this. His head swiveled as he pointedly gazed at the photo.
This mysterious explanation didn’t exactly make much sense to me either. “I think you’re right. Don’t you see? We didn’t meet by coincidence. This guy had everything to do with it. He sent you to me, Rusty. Weird as it may sound, I believe it.”
“I felt drawn to you too, but seeing him yesterday puts a whole new brand on the word eerie. I mean, I don’t know, Lee. How can that be?”
“I honestly can’t say.”
“Lee? Rusty? What are you two up to?” It was Mom. She stared at us curiously as we sat among the pile of pictures.
“Mom, you need to sit down and listen to this.”
“What is it? Is everything okay?”
I motioned toward the chair, saying, “Yeah, but just sit. We’ll explain.”
She took a seat and then I launched into my explanation of what happened. “Rusty saw him. Great-Granddad. At Neal’s woodworking shop.”
Mom took a deep breath. “Lee, honey, I think this is a marvelous story, but—”
“Mom, it’s not a story. We went to Neal’s shop and he was closed yesterday. How could Rusty have bought those items from him and how would he have been able to have described in intricate detail what that shop looked like inside if he hadn’t been in there?”
“You bought some things from him, Rusty?”
“Yes, ma’am. I purchased some wooden ducks and some painted fish. I can show you. They’re in my truck back at the inn.”
Mom tugged on her ear, something she did when she was thinking hard. “Hmm. This is unusual, to say the least.”
“That’s why we think Great-Granddad had something to do with us meeting. You know his story about the train depot and how I’m helping Jackson with the cafe. Now I’m thinking it had something to do with that. He wanted Rusty to meet me for some reason.”<
br />
Rusty grabbed my hand. “I already know the reason.”
Mom grinned. “It doesn’t really matter how you two met, does it. What matters is you did.”
“I guess. But isn’t it kind of cool it happened this way?” I asked.
“They do say that our loved ones watch over us from above. Maybe your great-granddad felt a special attachment to you, Lilou since you share a bond with him. And that was his way of doing so.”
Rusty piped in. “Whatever the case, I wish I could thank the man because he sure did me a solid.”
“He was an exceptional man,” Mom said.
“Ma’am, can I ask you. Did he do wood carvings?”
“He did. As a matter of fact, we have a few scattered around the house here.” Mom got up to go fetch them. I had forgotten about that, mainly because I’d taken them for granted having seen them every day growing up. When Mom returned, she was carrying two beautifully painted mallards. Rusty’s eyes widened when he saw them.
“Those are just like the ones I bought yesterday.”
“You’re kidding,” Mom said.
“Not at all. I fell in love with them because of the fine detail.” He asked to hold one and then he pointed a few things out. “See the feathering on the white ring around its neck? And how the paint carries that sheen in certain spots? It’s almost like the creature has come to life in your hand.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way, but yes, I suppose it does,” Mom said.
“They really are spectacular. As soon as he showed them to me, I knew I had to own them. And the fish are amazing too.”
“I’m not familiar with the fish.”
“I’ll bring them over so you can see.”
“Maybe he’s working some magic from above then, Lilou.”
“He must still be carving wood too,” I said. Then I told Mom about Glenn’s intervening and how we were going to be interviewed for the cafe.
“I’m happy he’s been hard at work doing something,” she said.
“Yeah, it may help Jackson with her business overall, not to mention the new name.”
“New name?”
“Yeah. He came up with this great idea to change the cafe’s name to I’ll Be Waiting in honor of Great-Granddad.”
“Lilou, that’s fantastic.”
“We thought so. Where is Glenn?”
“At a friend’s house.”
“Oh, I wanted Rusty to meet him.”
“Why don’t the two of you pick him up then? I told him I would get him at five.”
When I glanced at Rusty, he was already speaking. “We’d love to. I’d really like to meet him.”
“Great. And would you like to join us for dinner tonight, Rusty?”
“Uh, no, Mom. We have other plans,” I said. Mom’s disappointment was etched on her face. So I hastily added, “But we’ll stay until Dad gets home so Rusty can meet him.”
“Oh, good.” That seemed to appease her some.
“We’re going to the library now,” I said.
“The library?” Mom was more than a little surprised.
“Yeah, I want to look for old pictures of Great-Granddad at the train depot. I didn’t know if maybe the library had any on file.”
“I wonder if I do somewhere. What are you going to do with them?”
“We want to frame and hang them in the cafe.”
Mom pointed to the ceiling. “Ah, that’s a wonderful idea. Let me see what’s up in the attic. It might take a while.”
“That’s fine. In the meantime, we’ll still check at the library. Come on, Rusty.”
On the way, we stopped at the inn to pick up Rusty’s purchases from yesterday. When he showed me, I was totally blown away. “These are so much like the mallards Mom has, aren’t they?”
“Yes. And I can’t wait to show her the fish.”
I burst out laughing.
“What?”
“You. You’re like a kid with those fish.”
“My fish are awesome.”
“Yeah, they are. You’re proud of your fish, aren’t you?”
“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”
“Never. I would never make fun of a man and his fish.”
He poked his tongue against his cheek. “Uh huh. You seem like the type that would. I bet you’d make fun of a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
Before I could guess what was coming, I was on his lap and his mouth had taken command of mine. “I’m not going to give you the answer to that.” Then he kissed me some more.
“Maybe the library can wait for a little while.”
He pushed my hair behind my ear. “Mmm. Did you have something else in mind, Lee?”
“Maybe.”
“Such as.”
“Why don’t we go into your room and maybe you’ll find out.”
“Are you still going to make fun of my fish.”
“Huh uh. I wouldn’t dare.”
He opened the car door and I slid off his lap and out. Then he followed and we walked hand in hand inside. I didn’t care that people noticed us. I didn’t care if they knew who I was. I didn’t care that it was the middle of the afternoon. The only thing I did care about was that I was with Rusty and he made me feel like the most special person on the earth.
Chapter Eighteen
Rusty
* * *
There were days back when I was young, and my dad said terrible things to me. He told me I would never amount to anything because I was nothing but a stupid skinny kid, and I believed him. I would lie in bed and think of how I would grow old and lonely because I was worthless … a zero. When I left home, I didn’t care about loneliness or getting old anymore. The only thing I cared about was being away from that awful place. Then I knew my future was in my own hands and I could do whatever I wanted. But I was burdened with thoughts of wondering if I’d be the kind of man my dad was. Would I fly into rages and destroy the people I loved? Or would I end up in a relationship only to cause that person pain? Months of therapy helped me understand I had a choice … a choice to become the person I wanted to become. Standing here with Lee, I’m reminded of those thoughts. Will I be a good man? Will I break the chains of my upbringing and be the man she can be proud of, or will I allow the bastard that raised me to win? I know the answer when I see her … the way her eyes shine and sparkle … the way her hair looks as though it was spun from silk … the way her smile looks like it was made just for me. And the answer is never. Never would I allow him to be right. I will always be the better man. My insides clench with this knowledge, the knowledge that I would protect her without regard for my own life.
It was impossible not to touch her. My muscles bunched as I sought for control. Coming off as some lousy high school kid wasn’t my idea of how I wanted this to go. But she was so damn beautiful with the way her eyes dug into mine, and her lips slightly parted, it took much more strength than doing fifty pull-ups to keep my cool.
She stepped toward me and that’s when I lost it. I wrapped my hand around her tiny waist and pulled her into me.
“I’m going to try to rein it in, but no promises, Lilou Grace Marston.” The words came out ragged and hoarse. Then my mouth was on hers as I unbuttoned her shirt. Tugging the top of her bra down, I freed a nipple so I could pinch and tweak it. Her moans spurred me on, so I dropped my head to encase my lips around the tight and firm peak.
The intake of air told me all I needed to know. I inched her toward the bed, working the button and zipper on her jeans. Moving to the other nipple, I repeated my actions, flicking my tongue against the rock hard bud. She arched against me as I got her to the side of the bed. Pushing her backward with the palm of my hand, her ass landed on the mattress and I pulled her pants down, freeing her of them. Dropping to my knees, I spread her wide and tickled her pussy with my nose. Using my fingers to open her up, I slipped my tongue in deep. She tasted of salted honey and I hummed my pleasure. My dick was rock hard, ready for he
r, but I needed her to feel the pleasure first.
My fingers replaced my tongue while it zeroed in on her clit. She writhed against me, arching her back.
“Yesss,” she hissed as her fingers sunk into my hair.
I hooked my finger and pressed down on her G-spot, still keeping up the tongue action. She was dripping by now, and my dick throbbed, causing my balls to ache with the pressure.
“I’m going to come, Rusty,” she told me.
I put my mouth over her clit and sucked.
“Oh, God,” she cried as her pussy clamped down on my finger. The little pulsing motions ensued during her orgasm. When they eased, I pulled out and wiped my face on the sheet.
She lifted up her head, saying, “That was epic.”
“Glad you liked it, but there’s more to come.”
“Come. I like that.” She laughed.
I stripped, grabbed some condoms, and stepped back to the bed.
“I want to taste you,” she said.
“Oh, Lee, I don’t know.”
Her crinkled brow told me I’d hurt her. “No, it’s not what you think. If you wrap that gorgeous mouth of yours around me, I won’t last a minute.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“No, it would be great. But I want you to feel pleasure too.”
“I just did.”
“I know but …”
“I want to, Rusty.”
When I didn’t say anything, she added, “I never thought I’d have to beg you to give you a blow job.”
“Christ, when you put it like that.”
She flicked her hand. “Come to the edge of the bed.” So I sat where she’d indicated. Then she dropped down between my knees.
I tipped her chin up. “Are you comfortable down there?”
“Yeah. I still have my leg on but yeah.”
“Okay, but if you’re not, you tell me.”
“I will.”
She swiped her tongue from base to tip and then repeated it, swirling around the head of my cock, concentrating on the most sensitive part. Then she pushed the whole thing into her mouth, all the way to the base, and started sucking me off. Holy fucking blow job. She was damn good. One of her hands pumped my dick while the other grabbed my sack, squeezing it to perfection.
I'll Be Waiting (The Vault Book 2) Page 9
